Results tagged “albertmaysles”

For two weeks in the winter of 2005, Central Park was filled with 7,500 saffron-paneled gates. The project was a gift from the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, who had been trying for four decades to launch the project. Their struggle - and success - comes to the the small screen with tonight's premiere of The Gates on HBO.

Last month Reverend Billy was locked up for reciting the First Amendment in Union Square. Tonight he returns with a troupe of others to speak out against the outrageous new law that would limit public photography and filming in New York.

Brooklyn Academy of Music

), who've been filming Christo and Jean-Claude's work since in the '70s. They were there with their cameras in '79 when the artists first pitched their idea to the city of installing hundreds of orange gates throughout the park for two weeks in winter. To hear the nay sayers shooting the idea down originally and then to see footage of the rapturous crowds in 2005, is to understand just a little bit better Christo and Jean-Claude's tremendous artistic vision. Ultimately they insist they do their work for themselves alone, but to be reminded how public art enriches our city dwelling experience is really inspiring. We see the gates drawn on photographs, fabricated, constructed, unfurled and then enjoyed against the backdrop of a lush snow storm. Gates from up above, from far away and then from close up--this movie is a gates-gasm. While some of the extensive footage of the orange sails flapping in the winter winds does drag in spots, it's still some very lovely camera work. Maysles and his co-director Antonio Ferrara have done a wonderful job of documenting that particular moment in New York for posterity.

Albert Maysles, Documentary Filmmaker

Now that we're into November, awards season kicks off in earnest with big new releases such as

If Gates fever has you itching for more Christo and Jeanne-Claude, consider heading to the MoMA during the next few weeks for one of the documentaries on their previous works.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christo-and-Jeanne-Claude's-vision- for-Central-Park! Yesterday, hundreds of people descended into Central Park to start setting up The Gates, one of the biggest public art projects to hit New York City. The project, funded by Christo and wife Jeanne-Claude, that will have 7,500 gates with saffron fabric all around the park is opening on Saturday and will be up until Feburary 27. Newsday looks at the scope of the project and includes this great quote from Jeanne-Claude that's a barely veiled dig at art historians:

One of our workers on the night shift asked me why is it temporary. I told him to think of the rainbow. And he grabbed my arm and says, "I think I got it: If the gates were there all the time, after a while nobody would be looking at them and the magic would be gone." And I said, "You've got it better than most art historians."

Our own Joe Schumacher gave us this lovely photograph of the supports for the fabric being installed. His extensive coverage of The Gates notes that a worker said the gates were easy to put up and that the fabric will be unfurled at 8AM on Saturday. Thanks, Joe!

Richard Lester, the fabulous director of a Hard Day's Night, was interviewed by Steven Soderbergh in the Guardian. He's the subject of Soderbergh's bizarre but interesting book about making film: Getting Away With It: Or: The Further Adventures of the Luckiest Bastard You Ever Saw.